Biodegradeable toilet paper etiquette?

[jasper286]

i will be backpacking next weekend on the panoramic trail. what is the etiquette regarding biodegradeable toilet paper? bury or carry out?

[tm]

Must be packed out.

[sierranomad]

Here's a list of backcountry regulations, including not to "burn or bury tp", but must be packed out.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildregs.htm

[dan]

Pack the TP out. Use a small zip lock bag. Preferably 2!

[jasper286]

ok, thanks for the info.

[orion]

use just four sheets of unscented paper, in a careful folding pattern, front to back, push paper with twig to the bottom of the turd pile, in a deep hole (leave twig in hole.) tamp down sides before middle.

or use half a roll of scented paper to wipe after a tinkle, sprinkle liberally with pine needles, preferrably within six feet of trail.

of course, the only lawful recourse is to put your fecal matter in your bearcan with your food. i recommend doing this at home first with your fridge, to see your taste for the law.

[hotrod4x5]

use just four sheets of unscented paper, in a careful folding pattern, front to back, push paper with twig to the bottom of the turd pile, in a deep hole (leave twig in hole.) tamp down sides before middle.

or use half a roll of scented paper to wipe after a tinkle, sprinkle liberally with pine needles, preferrably within six feet of trail.

of course, the only lawful recourse is to put your fecal matter in your bearcan with your food. i recommend doing this at home first with your fridge, to see your taste for the law.

You don't have to pack out your feces. And burying your paper is not good backpacker etiquette. Little animals can dig it up and scatter it all over. Put it in two ziplock bags and pack it out.

[bill-e-g]

The rangers now TELL you to pack out your toilet paper.
Why? Because people don't know how to do it properly and
you end up with pieces of toilet paper littering the ground.
Wildlife like mice take this stuff and think it's great... building
a nest... once it gets wets... they are screwed.
And tt's just unsightly and disgusting...
places like Rancheria my wife refuses to go to because she goes to
do the business and finds all kind of TP. nice.
I see it all the time in the places where there are loads of people going.

The only way to not have any effect is to either:
a) don't bring any
b) pack it out
c) do it properly.. and that is this:
dig cat hole... poopadoodle doo... wipe booty... drop in hole...
take your water bottle and put lots o water in there.... stir
stir stir... put in some dirt... stir... water... stir... cover. done.
With c you have actually done help break it down too. No tp
remains.

Me... uh... I go with option a) (I'm not kidding). (I use a stick)
If "bad" I use wetones and package those home. yum yum

Sorry... you asked... ???

[hotrod4x5]

A stick??

[orion]

ahh... the scatological conversation.

this video starts out with some good pointers:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6f4_1272904024

the most important thing is to use unscented paper.
four sheets folds down to half the size of a matchbook.
pushed into the pile it soaks and disintegrates, about the same as a leaf.
go ahead and dig it up and see if you can find the paper.

the rules are made to make it simple i guess
for the lowest common denominator
the wilderness has no rules, only common sense.

no paper bill washes his ass in the lake, or does he not swim?

i only use a stick if it won't come out.

[sierranomad]

Me... uh... I go with option a) (I'm not kidding). (I use a stick)

Bill, you are one tough dude .

I put my tp in ziplock; ziplock goes in a plastic bag (kind that you get when buying something at a store). The plastic bag gets tied to the outside of my pack.

Had to carry my cr*p out at Whitney. Now THAT was a bag I was glad to get rid of at the end of the trip. I had it bagged in those "decompositing" bags they provide, but it still smelled. For some reason my hiking partner decided to hike in front of me during that leg.

[hotrod4x5]

four sheets folds down to half the size of a matchbook.
pushed into the pile it soaks and disintegrates, about the same as a leaf.
go ahead and dig it up and see if you can find the paper.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather carefully put the used paper into a ziplock, than try and smash it down to the size of a matchbook. Things are gonna ooze out and get all over my fingers. The mental image is more than enough, not interested in trying it at all!

[orion]

well, it's not origami, but maybe it is.

take four sheets. fold them in half, then in half again. you have one sheet four layers thick. wipe with a corner. fold over one third, wipe with corner again, fold over again. you should have a piece of paper 1"x 4" with two wipes of excrement inside on one end, with four layers between each to prevent any contamination. wipe a third time with that end. fold in half. you now have a folded piece of paper the size of a matchbox, wipe again if necessary, fold and toss in hole. four wipes should suffice, but i can't speak for everybody.

it might seem embarassing to be potty-trained later in life, but we've grown up in the world of the Marlboro Silent Water Waste Preventer
http://delanceyplace.blogspot.com/2010/ ... oilet.html and perhaps have to relearn some things to live in the wilderness.

it easier to just say "pack it out" than to explain to someone how to take a dump while in the rangers office getting a permit.

personally, the mental image of a zippy of soiled wipes in my bear can is about the worst. the food already gets "bear can flavor" from being with other food and refuse from food wrappers, i wouldn't want any additional seasoning.

[sierranomad]

four wipes should suffice, but i can't speak for everybody.

[dan]

This seems to be a popular thread, to my surprise .

I've been know to use leaves--especially broad leaves like black oak or maple to wipe myself. Unfortunately most of the leaves in the Sierra are pine or fir--those don't work! Neither does poison oak or stinging nettle, but that's not found at high altitudes either.